The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Central Environmental Authority have decided to declare several more prominent water bodies like rivers, lakes and lagoons as Environmental Protected Areas.

Environment Minister A. H. M. Fowzie has sought cabinet approval to declare these water bodies as protected areas in view of the threat of pollution of these rivers and lagoons due to exploitation for commercial purposes.

Tilak Ranaviraja, Chairman of the CEA said that these measures are being taken in view of information received that there is large scale uncontrolled exploitation of the river banks and rivers which if not controlled would result in pollution of these vital water bodies.

Among the dangers faced are felling of trees on river banks, soil erosion, contamination of water due to discharge of affluent waste, sand mining etc.

Following are the areas declared as Environmental Protected Areas:

Madu Ganga — 60 Meters on either side of Madu Ganga inclusive of the water body and all islands falling within it up to the point of 7 kilometres measured perpendicular to a straight line from the natural entrance points (river mouth) situated between the town of Ambalangoda, and Balapitiya of the Galle District.

Bentota River and Bentota Estuary — 60 meters from the either side of the esisting banks of tile River and Estuary inclusive of the water body and all islands falling within up to the point of five kilometres measured perpendicular to a straight line from the natural entrance point (river mouth) situated between the town of Aluthgama of Kalutara District and Bentota in the Galle District

Koggala Lagoon — 100 meters of the high level of the lagoon inclusive all the water body and all islands failing within it up to the point of five kilometres measured perpendicular to a straight line from the natural entrance point (river mouth) situated approximately 15 milometers east of the city of Galle

Lake Gregory in Nuwara Eliya — 100 meters from the high flood level of Lake Gregory situated within the city limit of Nuwara Eliya.

Waturana Swamp Forest — Also referred to as the Waturana Marsh which is a part of the Walauwatta Estate managed by Magpec Agro Management Services Ltd., as depicted in the plan of Walauwatte Estate 1940 situated in Bulathsinhala Divisional Secretariat Division in Kalutara District.

Panadura Ganga, Veras Gang and Bolgoda Ganga and Bolgoda Lake — 60 meters from the either side of the existing banks of these Gangas and Lake inclusive of the water bodies and all islands within them up to the South extreme point of Veras Ganga and north extreme point of Bolgoda lake from the river mouth of Panadura Ganga situated in Kesbewa, Moratuwa, Panadura, Bandaragama and Kalutara Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the Colombo and Kalutara Districts in the Western Province.

Thalangama Tank — The present general area known as the Thalangama Tank and the surrounding paddy fields acquired for flood detention both of which having an aggregate area of 118 hectares and situated at Kaduwela Divisional Secretariat’s Division.